 As part of simplifying and streamlining its day-to-day activities, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has introduced a Quick Response (QR) Code for the stakeholders to book appointment with the drug regulatory officials in its headquarters.
It has also released certain guidelines for the visitors to be followed while visiting the premises of the CDSCO building.
According to the CDSCO, the visitors can now book appointments with the officials in the FDA Bhawan, Delhi, using a streamlined digital process under which the QR Codes will be displayed at the FDA Bhawan premises to access the appointment booking form. The QR Code has been provided for the stakeholders through the notice, in the CDSCO website.
Once the visitor scans the code, it will direct to the official appointment booking form, where the visitor needs to fill their personal and organisational details, provide the purpose of visit, select the preferred date and time slot from the available options, and submit the form online by confirming the details.
On the day of appointment, the information submitted will be available for walk-in visitor pass generation. The visitor needs to carry a valid ID proof for verification before issuing of gate pass. "On approval, you'll have a smooth entry process at FDA Bhawan," says the drug regulator.
The CDSCO, however, issued a few guidelines for the visitors to follow, in order to achieve "disturbance-free public dealings within the CDSCO office."
Visitors entering the CDSCO building with a visitor pass issued in the name of a specific official have been observed roaming around the premises and meeting other officials, which disrupts regular office functioning, it observed.
It added that in such case, the official who authorises the visitor's entry shall be held responsible, and the visitors are strictly permitted to meet only the official in whose name the visitor pass has been issued.
"All stakeholders are requested to strictly adhere to the above guidelines to maintain effective and disturbance-free public dealings within the CDSCO office," it said.
It may be noted that the drug regulator has been working on the methods to simplify and streamline its meetings with the stakeholders, who visit the FDA Bhawan premises for their regulatory requirements, in the past too.
Earlier this month, the CDSCO released a prerequisite form for the industry members to fill in for the walk-in meeting with the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) in the CDSCO headquarters.
The person visiting the DCGI needs to specify name, designation, name and address of the organisation and contact details, along with the purpose of the visit, which is a brief on the problem, complaint or grievances and suggestion in five to seven lines.
In February, 2024, the CDSCO has said that the DCGI will be meeting the stakeholders on every Tuesday and Thursday (except Gazetted holidays) at the authority's headquarters from 5 pm to 6 pm. This is in an effort to enhance the Ease of Doing Business in the drug regulatory mechanism in the country.
CDSCO, earlier this year, has also announced changes in the public hearing schedule by various divisions for stakeholders to get regulatory guidance from the drug regulator's public relations office (PRO), restricting the timeframe for the hearings to two hours in the evening.
Till then, the PRO office has been allocating time in two equal halves of the day during the five working days of the week, for separate divisions in the forenoon and afternoon, according to the public notices issued on October 4, 2019, December 10, 2021, and February 22, 2022.
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